TNT's 'Men' gets it right - so far

Published 4:00 am, Monday, December 7, 2009

Ray Romano plays a party-store owner who's going through a mid-life crisis in his endearing new TNT show, "Men of a Certain Age," premiering on December 7 on TNT. (Courtesy TNT/MCT)

Ray Romano plays a party-store owner who's going through a mid-life crisis in his endearing new TNT show, "Men of a Certain Age," premiering on December 7 on TNT. (Courtesy TNT/MCT)

Photo: Courtesy TNT, MCT

TNT's 'Men' gets it right - so far

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Men Of A Certain Age, drama, 10 p.m. Mondays, TNT

Though there have been various attempts through the years to get at the easily identifiable and relatable midlife crises of men, much of the effort is put on cheap laughs and even cheaper clichés. TNT's new drama "Men Of A Certain Age" might be the closest thing to getting it right.

The series, created by and starring Ray Romano and his "Everybody Loves Raymond" writing partner, Mike Royce, doesn't go all-in for the mental angst of Don Draper in "Mad Men" but neither does it try for the gloss of a male version of "Sex and the City." Somewhere in the middle, the two have created a promising drama about three friends in their late 40s in Los Angeles, struggling to make sense of where they are, how they got there and what happens next. That latter part is presented with more keen understanding than you might expect, providing the fodder that could make this series something special.

Co-starring Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher, "Men Of A Certain Age" manages in the first few episodes to give viewers something they probably didn't count on - an introspective, more nuanced and slightly more depressing look at how hard it is to accept that you may not be what you wanted to be by the time you're a lot older than you thought you'd be.

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Romano is the key to the series. He plays Joe, a father of two who recently separated from his wife - mostly because he's got a gambling problem. When you expect him to play the funny guy - rehashing his famously sardonic sense of humor from his hit sitcom, Romano instead delivers an honest, mannered portrayal of a man whose crisis is causing some rippling sadness under the everything's-fine veneer. There's more depth to his performance here - better acting than anyone had a right to expect.

Joe is living in one of those extended-stay hotels that business people frequent and it's the perfect metaphor for his inability to figure out what to do next. It's clear he wants to get back together with his wife and equally clear that he's unhappy owning and running a party-supply store. Whether he's playing online poker or betting on college sports, it's also clear he hasn't beaten back his addiction. But it brings him no joy. It's just something to do, something he can't shake. And every time he looks in the mirror he can't quite believe what he sees.

Braugher is also excellent (no surprise there), as Owen, an overweight car salesman who works at his father's dealership. He's got a wife and three kids (including a newborn) and the remodel on his house seems never-ending. He's not the best salesman and his tough-love father isn't about to let him forget it. His father also thinks Owen's weight issues (and diabetes) are embarrassing. Owen's crisis is that he's stuck - even if he wanted to change anything about his life, he really can't.

Bakula is Terry, a moderately successful actor on the downside of whatever career he might have had. He's getting older, but not too old to date younger women. And yet, "Men Of A Certain Age" doesn't mine that for the expected clichés. If anything, the ability to still be found attractive is Terry's last vestige of his past life. He's doing temp work at an office and forced to go on cattle calls for acting parts. Yet he hasn't quite accepted that his sell-by date in the entertainment business is past. On the plus side, his inability to really grow up means he's a lot less stressed than Joe and Owen.

What "Men Of A Certain Age" gets right is that moment before there's acceptance of where you are on your life's journey. This isn't some "Bucket List" joke-fest. There's some spot-on and sharp humor throughout, but it never gets too light and breezy. There's an underlying seriousness - just shy of real gravitas - that anchors the series. If "Men Of A Certain Age" eschews the easy clichés as it has in the first few episodes, there's real potential for drama here (though it's TNT - nothing is going to be too heavy). A series that honestly looks at aging, change and the reluctant acceptance of who you are and what you've accomplished would be great for television. You can only have so many vacant teen vampire dramas.

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